Romanian citizenship · citizens of Russia
Romanian citizenship for Russian citizens with roots in Bessarabia or Bukovina
If a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was born in Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina or the Hertsa region up to 1940, you can apply for Romanian citizenship, even if you live in Russia or another country today. Applications from Russian citizens are checked more closely than others, so the documents must be complete and checked from the start.
- Article 11, keeping your Russian citizenship
- Documents checked before filing
- Filing in Romania or at a consulate
Who qualifies
Who qualifies
Romanian law does not exclude anyone because of the citizenship they hold today. What counts is where your ancestors were born and whether you can prove your link to them, generation by generation.
Ancestors from Bessarabia
People born in Bessarabia up to 1940, including those who were later deported or moved to other parts of the USSR. Their descendants in Russia can apply under Article 11 if the documents link each generation.
Ancestors from Northern Bukovina or the Hertsa region
Today this is the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. Records from the Romanian period are kept at the state archive in Chernivtsi, and our partners in Ukraine can request them from there.
No Romanian roots
Without an ancestor who was a Romanian citizen, Article 11 does not apply. That leaves naturalization, which requires 8 years of legal residence in Romania.
Besides your roots, you also need to
- be at least 18 years old; minor children can be included in a parent’s application
- be of good conduct, with no criminal conviction that makes you unworthy of citizenship
- be loyal to the Romanian state and not have supported actions against it
- prove your Romanian with a B1 certificate or with 3 years of school in Romanian
Russian applications go through stricter checks
Between 2022 and 2025, almost 4,000 Russian citizens applied for Romanian citizenship and about 1,900 received it (Europa Liberă, the Romanian service of Radio Free Europe, January 2026). In the same period, the authorities found hundreds of false documents each year, and some cases went to prosecutors. That is why we do not file applications with documents we cannot check.
What Russian law says about a second citizenship
Russia allows a second citizenship, but it requires you to notify the Russian authorities within a short time (Federal Law 138-FZ), and failing to notify them is a criminal offense (Art. 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code). The rules may become stricter, so for the Russian side, also talk to a lawyer in Russia.
Documents
Documents required
The file links the ancestor born on Romanian territory to you, through the documents of each generation.
Russia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so Russian documents get an apostille. Since 2019, ANC accepts only translations in which names are written as in the passport.
- A document showing that the ancestor was born in Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina or the Hertsa region up to 1940
- Birth, marriage and, where relevant, death certificates for each generation, with apostille
- Your Russian internal passport and your passport for travel abroad
- A criminal record certificate from Russia and from any other country where you live, with apostille
- The B1 Romanian language certificate, if you are under 65
- Certified translations into Romanian, with names transliterated exactly as in the passport
Steps
How the application works
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1
We check whether you qualify
You send us your family documents and what you know about your ancestors. The lawyer tells you whether the line can be proven, what is missing and what the fee is.
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2
We complete and check the documents
We request the documents from Moldova and Ukraine through partners, and we check the Russian ones before the apostille and translation.
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3
You file the application
At ANC in Romania or at the Romanian consulate in the country where you live. In Russia, that means the Embassy in Moscow or the Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
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4
We follow the file
The commission has at most 2 years for its report, plus an extension of up to 6 months. We answer requests for more documents within the 4 months set by law.
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5
You take the oath
You have one year from the order. If you live abroad, you take the oath at the Romanian consulate in your country.
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6
Your Romanian documents
The citizenship card, the transcription of your birth certificate and the Romanian passport.
What the lawyer does
What the lawyer does for your file
Since November 2025, Russian citizens get only single-entry Schengen visas, and the consulate in Rostov-on-Don has been closed since October 2024. That is why we organize the file so that you need as few trips as possible.
Searches for your ancestors’ documents
We request documents from archives in Ukraine through partners, and we request the ones from Moldova and Romania under your power of attorney.
Checks Russian documents
We compare the data in each document with the others and check how the names are transliterated. A doubtful document does not go into the file.
Chooses where to file
If you live legally in a country other than Russia, you can file at the Romanian consulate there. We tell you which option is more practical.
Keeps the deadlines
The B1 certificate, the 4 months for extra documents and the year for the oath. We remind you of each one in good time.
Goes to court
For applications that have waited more than 2 years and for rejected applications.
Helps you after the oath
The transcription of your birth certificate and the documents for the Romanian passport.
No false promises
What we do not promise
The ANC commission decides on each application, and the law gives no one an automatic right to citizenship. That is why we do not promise you a result or a date.
- There is no paid “fast track”. ANC handles applications in the order they were registered, and when the legal deadline passes, the only legal route is the court.
- Citizenship cannot be bought, and you can no longer get it through investment. Offers like that have already led to criminal cases.
- We do not work with grandparents “found” by middlemen. If the ancestor cannot be proven with real documents, we tell you from the start.
Questions
What are the conditions nobody tells you about?
There are three. You need real ancestors from Bessarabia or Bukovina, a B1 certificate if you are under 65, and patience, because the process can take several years. On top of that, Russian law requires you to notify the authorities of your second citizenship.
Can I get citizenship without Romanian roots?
Only through naturalization, after 8 years of legal residence in Romania. Citizenship by investment has not existed since 2025. You can find the details on the naturalization page.
Will I lose my Russian citizenship?
Romanian law does not ask you to give it up: Article 11 lets you keep your foreign citizenship. Russia also allows a second citizenship, with the duty to notify.
Do I have to come to Romania?
Not necessarily. You can file the application at the Romanian consulate in the country where you live, and take the oath there too. You only need to be present when you file, for fingerprints and a photo.
What do “repatriation” and “citizenship by roots” mean?
These are the names used in Russian for regaining citizenship under Article 11. Romanian law does not use the word “repatriation”, but it is the same procedure.
How long does it take?
The law gives the commission at most 2 years for its report, plus an extension of up to 6 months, and then come the order and the oath. Russian applications can take longer because of the checks, so we do not promise you a date.
Request
Send us what you know about your ancestors
Write where and when your ancestors were born and which documents you have. The lawyer tells you whether the line can be proven and what it costs.
The lawyer who handles your file
Ioan-Dorin Tipa
Avocat (lawyer), member of the Suceava Bar since 2021
Check the registration in the National Register of LawyersWe have your request
Request code:
The lawyer reads what you sent and contacts you on the number you left, with the next steps and the fee. Keep the code so you can quote it when we talk.
Your documents are stored privately and only the lawyer sees them. Prefer to talk? Call +40758020129 or message us on WhatsApp.
Other situations
- Romanian citizenship
- Citizenship for Moldovans
- Citizenship for Ukrainians
- Citizenship by naturalization
- Delayed citizenship files
- Refugees and deportees
This page in other languages: Română · Українська · Русский
Legal basis: Law no. 21/1991 on Romanian citizenship, as amended by Law no. 14/2025 and Emergency Ordinance (OUG) no. 16/2026. This information is general and was checked on 19 October 2026. The law changes often, so the lawyer confirms it for your case.